Greg Barker - Observer comment

And why? Because of allegations about his private life.

The fact Greg and wife Celeste split up in the summer after 14 years of marriage is not a secret.

The Bexhill Observer decided not to publish the story at the time. It is a private matter.

Now, the press has gone to town about an alleged homosexual relationship with an interior designer.

I spoke to Greg at length yesterday, and he was adamant to stress that was not the reason why the marriage broke down.

He also didn't want to speak in detail publicly about his private life.

And why should he? His private life indeed should be private.

How the people of Bexhill - and indeed the whole constituency - will react to this is another matter.

Open-minded people will say 'So what, who cares?'

Others may not take such a sympathetic view.

The Bexhill Observer's opinion is that Greg Barker is an excellent and hard-working local MP.

There was much controversy at the time of his appointment and it's no secret that some people were out to get him at the time.

It would be sad if those same people were now to re-emerge and make life difficult for him.

Greg has the full support of his leader David Cameron - and quite rightly, too. Greg is also hoping that in the next few days the national spotlight may go off him.

There is no doubt that the next few weeks - and probably months - are going to be tough for him.

He obviously has problems in his

personal life and he should be allowed to resolve them.

How he decides to conduct his

private life in future is his choice.

If he has a homosexual relationship, then so be it.

Equally, if he has a heterosexual

relationship, then so be it.

Peter Lindsey,

Group Editor